ABSTRACT
Working collaboratively
This chapter raises awareness of the importance of all professionals working with children engaging collaboratively. It addresses how and why working collaboratively is vital for the safety and education of children and families. The chapter draws attention to the number of Serious Case Reviews that find that this is an area is sadly lacking amongst professionals and has been a contributory factor to too many cases of child abuse and neglect. It mentions relevant legislation which asks for collaboration and how each child mentioned in the chapter would have benefited if professionals had been working collaboratively. It discusses a number of issues that make collaborative working difficult, such as power relationships, proximity and professional specific language. The chapter highlights that for the sake of children in the future that collaborative working becomes the focus of all those professionals, at all levels, involved in childcare.
